Sometimes
in great happiness Lord Jagannâtha
makes a loud concert with His flute in the
groves on the banks of the Yamunâ. He
is like a bumblebee tasting the beautiful
lotuslike faces of the cowherd damsels of
Vraja, and great personalities such as
Lakshmî, S'iva, Brahmâ, Indra,
and Ganes'a worship His lotus feet. May that
Jagannâtha Svâmî be the
object of my vision.

(2)

In
His left hand Lord Jagannâtha holds a
flute, on His head He wears peacock feathers,
and on His hips He wears fine yellow silken
cloth. From the corners of His eyes He
bestows sidelong glances upon His loving
devotees, and He always reveals Himself
through His pastimes in His divine abode of
Vrindâvana. May that Jagannâtha
Svâmî be the object of my
vision.

(3)

On
the shore of the great ocean, within a large
palace atop the brilliant, golden
Nîlâcala Hill, Lord
Jagannâtha resides with His powerful
brother Balabhadra and His sister
Subhadrâ, who sits between Them. May
that Jagannâtha Svâmî, who
bestows the opportunity for devotional
service upon all godly souls, be the object
of my vision.

(4)

Lord
Jagannâtha is an ocean of mercy and as
beautiful as a row of blackish rain clouds.
He is the storehouse of bliss for
Lakshmî and Sarasvatî, and His
face resembles a spotless fullblown lotus.
The best of demigods and sages worship Him,
and the Upanishads sing His glories. May that
Jagannâtha Svâmî be the
object of my vision.

(5)

When
Lord Jagannâtha moves along the road on
His Rathayâtrâ car, at every step
large assemblies of brâhmanas loudly
chant prayers and sing songs for His
pleasure. Hearing their hymns, Lord
Jagannâtha becomes very favorably
disposed toward them. He is the ocean of
mercy and the true friend of all the worlds.
May that Jagannâtha Svâmî,
along with His consort Lakshmî, who was
born from the ocean of nectar, be the object
of my vision.

(6)

Lord
Jagannâtha, whose eyes resemble
full-blown lotus petals, is the ornament on
Lord Brahmâ's head. He resides on
Nîlâcala Hill with His lotus feet
placed on the heads of Anantadeva.
Overwhelmed by the mellows of love, He
joyfully embraces s'rîmatî
Râdhârânî's body,
which is like a cool pond. May that
Jagannâtha Svâmî be the
object of my vision.

(7)

I
do not pray for a kingdom, nor for gold,
rubies, or wealth. I do not ask for a
beautiful wife, as desired by all men. I
simply pray that Jagannâtha
Svâmî, whose glories Lord S'iva
always sings, may be the constant object of
my vision.

(8)

O
Lord of the demigods, please quickly remove
this useless material existence I am
undergoing. O Lord of the Yadus, please
destroy this vast, shoreless ocean of sins.
Alas, this is certain: Lord Jagannâtha
bestows His lotus feet upon those who feel
themselves fallen and have no shelter in this
world but Him. May that Jagannâtha
Svâmî be the object of my
vision.

Baladeva is
the name of Lord Balarâma:
(strenght
of joy) Krishna's first Plenary portion
operating as His older brother. Also named
Râma and Sankarsan. He is the protector
and teacher of the devotees. is also considered
Bhagavân.

Subhadrâ
was the sister of Lord Krishna. She married with
Arjuna after the battle of Kuruksetra.
Subhadrâ was the mother of Abhimanyu who
was the father of Emperor Parikchit to whom the
Bhâgavatam was spoken.

The Jagannatha Ashtakam was recited extempore by
a great 18th century Sanskrit grammarian named
Nadiminty Sarvamangaleswara Sastry (1759 -
1839). He was refered to as "Dakshina Sastry" -
'the Sastry from the South', his native place is
south of Puri, a place called Nagooru in the
present day Vis'ianagaram district of Andhra
Pradesh. This scholar carried the title
"Abhinava Kalidaasa" bestowed on him by Kashi
& Nava Dwip scholars for his extrordinary
scholarship. There are chronicles of his visits
to Puri and the episode that led to the
extempore recitation by him of the famous
JAGANNATHA ASHTAKAM.